Not a Fairytale Hero
by Cap'n Cook
Summary: A scientist appears on Regina's doorstep claiming to know of her magic. Rambling about research and special genetics, the doctor informs her of a dangerous mission that he urges her to accept. Why her? What is her part in all of this? What happens next will alter the course of the world, thus initiating the butterfly effect.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! So, after watching so much Heroes and reading so much OUAT fanfiction, I've been waiting so long for a "bad-ass Regina saving the world in a bad-ass way, so Storybrooke better stop their hatin' and kiss her designer heels" type of fic. But, since there wasn't any (that I know of), I made one! Haha, I promise the plot is way better than what I'd just described. By the way, you don't need to know Heroes to understand what's going on. I got y'alls backs!**

* * *

Out of all the places in the world, he never would've expected to find her in such an isolated small town. Well of course, because of the purpose of his visit, the "isolated" part of her current living conditions is very much understandable. But it was something about this town that made him feel uneasy. It looked like it came straight out of a book. Cliched maybe, from the residents to even the signs of various buildings.**  
**

His eyes darted back and forth from the road to the windows of his red Rent-a-Car Ford Focus. Maybe the way people stared at him driving by was making him feel uneasy. Yeah, that was it. Is this town really that small that people can point out who is the outsider and who is the resident? His dark eyes swept over the faces he drove past, his brain making quick observations. Running a hand through his black curly hair, and making sure to keep the other hand on the wheel, a small concern of the town's lack of diversity entered his mind. He let out a chuckle as he remembered his friends back home and how the town's diversity statistics would immediately jump if he were to bring them. Somewhere in the back of his mind he hoped this "errand" will go well and that he wouldn't have to call his friends for "extra  
reinforcements".

* * *

Her fist clenched involuntarily as she stared down her phone. Locked away in her home office, she grew frustrated with every passing second. She shouldn't let this bother her.

_It's just a voicemail._

_ A voicemail from a stranger._

_ A stranger who claims to know her._

_What she can do._

_Her magic._

She growled as she mulled over the possibility of it being a prank call from those Snow White-loyal idiots. Ever since Miss Swan broke the curse, her life went from a downhill slump ever since Miss Swan drove in with that hideous yellow bug, to a multi-car pileup. It's as if all the bakesales, charities, and townhall meetings were nothing now that everyone's hung up on putting her head on a stake. Perhaps someone has gotten creative and tried to mess with her psychologically, leaving her a message claiming to know of her magic, hoping to drive her away from the town because the threat of what will happen to her once her abilities is known to outsiders is unspeakable.

She slammed her fist on her large office desk as images of past events reeled through her head. Miss Swan practically throwing her against a wall in the hospital with crazed fury in her eyes, how she confirmed everything that Henry has accused her of being as Emma Swan pathetically gaped at her. How she wanted to just break down in a miserable heap when Emma Swan accused her of murdering Archie Hopper, and then took her son away. How Snow White manipulated her and brought her mother to her death, yet again ruining her chance of happiness while Snow White is still made out to be the victim.

Her stormy eyes welled up as she wallowed in contemplation. First Daniel, now Henry. Ever since the beginning, she just wanted to survive. Daniel was her promise of survival. When he died and she discovered magic, it took away some of that pain and gave her a chance of happiness. Magic brought her into this world where she had Henry and ultimately a new life. And because of that book and Snow White and her perfect royal family, her son would rather be the Savior's son and not the Evil Queen's.

And she didn't blame him, for she was also ashamed of her misdeeds in her past. She hated herself for letting her pain and grief control her. Her own son is terrified of her. It kills her to know that. And she also knows that Daniel would be absolutely disgusted at the woman she is now.

After repeating the voicemail message for the umpteenth time and the aspirin has finally taken affect, she catches a name. Her hands glide on the keyboard and immediately a man of Indian descent appears on her screen. The title of the book "Activating Evolution" appears in the search engine in bold letters. Clicking on the link, she leans forward in her seat absolutely fascinated at what she reads.

* * *

Looking back and forth between the paper clutched in his hand and the stately white mansion before him, he raised one dark eyebrow. After shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he grabbed the manila folder on the passenger side of the car and made his way to the front door. He rang the doorbell once and glanced over the file while waiting.

The door opened, not completely but just enough for him to see the woman behind the door. She was professionally dressed in a navy blue pantsuit, had dark styled hair a bit past her chin, red lipstick and dark eye makeup, and her height was still average despite the black heels she wore that looked too high to walk in. He inwardly nodded, recognizing her from the photo in the folder he's holding.

"Hello Regina Mills. My name is Dr. Mohinder Suresh."

* * *

Regina immediately noticed the man in front of her to be the same man she had researched just a few minutes ago. Trying to not let her surprise show, she pushes herself off the door frame and straightens up, not sparing a glance at his outstretched hand.

"Dr. Suresh, what a surprise. Welcome to Storybrooke," she made sure to display her mayoral smile and slow down her quickening heart rate.

"Ms. Mills, I don't mean to bother you but this is an urgent matter. I take it that you've listened to my voicemail?"

"Yes I did receive your voicemail. However, I'm afraid I don't quite understand what this is all about, Dr. Suresh. Honestly, I think you're mistakened about who I am and this whole matter," Regina lets out a polite chuckle and resists the urge to snap at the man to just drop the whole thing.

Mohinder clasps his hands together in a begging motion putting urgency in his tone, "Please Mayor Mills, may I have just a moment of your time to explain everything. I promise, everything will be made clear in a few minutes. If I could just explain..."

Regina stared him down and could sense the desperation dripping off of him. Part of her is curious about what this man has to say. Another part of her distrusts this stranger and his motives. But she remembers that she would do anything to have the chance to explain herself to Henry, so she will let this man into her home to explain whatever he needs to to her.

"Please, come in Dr. Suresh," she opens the door wider and motions him in with a small smile.

Mohinder took a seat in her living room looking around at the décor. Admiring the beauty of the house, he notices just how equally regal the interior looks as does the exterior. He suddenly worries that it would be difficult to convince the sophisticated woman in front of him of his mission and her part in it. Would she laugh at his absurdity, scoff at him, or suddenly feel threatened and tell him to leave her house and town, or worse, use her abil-

"Would you like something to drink?"

"A glass of water would be fine, thank you."

"Of course."

Whatever happens, at least he's done his duty in coming here to Storybrooke and informing Regina Mills. Worst case scenario, she rejects everything told to her and continues her life ignorant of what is happening.

Regina comes back in the living room and hands Mohinder a cold glass of water, then sits on an armchair in front of him. She straightens up and clasps her hands in her lap, an eyebrow raised as if challenging him to say something ridiculous.

"Have you ever done something, something strange, something extraordinary, that you can't explain how you did it? Are you afraid that if you do tell someone, then they will think that you're crazy and possibly mental?"

Regina's face remains impassive as if his statement didn't faze her at all.

"My father, Chandra Suresh, conducted research on these phenomenons. He wrote a book called Activating Evolution discussing theories about humans with genetic abilities. These abilities are absolutely extraordinary, it's unfathomable_. _There's rapid tissue regeneration, teleportation─"

"─telekinesis, enhanced strength, precognition..." Regina nods and holds their eye contact, not wavering once as her mind races through the information from the brief research she'd done.

"Yes, and so much more. I've discovered files, even video interviews of these humans with abilities dating back to the 1960s," Mohinder pauses with dark eyes twinkling of amazement, "They exist, Mayor Mills. We're living amongst the most talented humans on the face of the Earth. _Superhumans_."

Regina lightly shook her head, "let's speak like reasonable adults here, Dr. Suresh. What you're describing sounds like something from my son's comic books! While the excitement of superheroes sounds..." She let a smirk grace her face, "...appealing, I refuse to believe in a real-life Superman. Besides, what does any of this have to do with me? If you think you can enter my home and convince me to support your laughable cause in superhuman abilities, well dear you are _very_ wrong."

"B-but! Wait─"

She stood up and sneered, "Don't waste my time. Good day, _doctor_. Do close the door on your way out."

"**There was a flaw in the research**!"

The doctor's bellowed outburst made Regina jump. Unable to keep her composure, her eyes went wide as saucers at his blatant loudness.

Lowering his voice, Mohinder approached her cautiously, "My father believed the abilities to have originated in the blood. I continued my father's research after his passing and found his theory incorrect. Isolating the precise genetic sequences that exist within people with abilities, I've discovered that, in fact, they are actually produced from the adrenal glands." Mohinder laughed to himself and shook his head, "the superhuman gene is activated in the adrenal glands!"

Seeing Regina scrunching her eyebrows together in confusion, and possibly annoyance, he continued quickly, "I came to you because you're one of them. You have abilities. And before you try to deny my claim, think deeply about what I'm about to ask you. Was there a moment when you felt stressed, either positively or negatively stressed, and then something unexplainable happened? Something that would be impossible to explain unless you had...abilities? The stress acts as an initiator for the superhuman gene, allowing the adrenal glands to activate the dormant gene. The end result tends to be spontaneous; the ability may appear randomly in full blast, like...an explosion."

Frozen in place, Regina involuntarily clenched her fists turning her knuckles white. Finally, she stepped closer to the doctor until their toes touched.

_A moment of stress_...

_Something unexplainable..._

_Impossible..._

The words beat on in her head as she remembered. Memories of a young, distraught Regina accidentally pushing her mother into a looking glass played before her eyes. She felt red hot angry heat rushing up her skin as memories of flames spontaneously bursting out of her palms entered her mind, reliving the pure panic she felt the first time it happened. Her mind hummed painfully as she remembered the ugly noise of glass breaking just as her mind, emotions, and being broke too. These situations were absolutely frightening to her as a young girl, but as the situations become more frequent, she learned that she liked feeling the adrenaline coursing through her. It felt filling. It felt alive.

Her next words were low and throaty, full of venom from the bitterness her memories gave her, "What do you want from me?"

Mouth set in a thin line, Mohinder stared into the dark storm the mayor's eyes displayed. He realized he hit a nerve. Swallowing, he steeled himself to get to business and fill the woman in on everything. He's done this many times before, so he doesn't know why he's nervous all of a sudden. But nerves and anxiety aside, he needs to get Regina on his side. So much is on the line.

The ringing of the doorbell reverberated throughout the mayor's spacious home, interrupting Mohinder before he even got started.

_ Act fast! Quickly, before she kicks you out of her home._

Mohinder rummaged through his worn leather satchel, pulling out a small, torn piece of paper and pen. He scribbled something down before handing it to Regina.

"I'll be staying at Granny's Bed and Breakfast. Here's my phone number. Give me a call and meet me as soon as possible. We need to speak about a serious and urgent matter. Your part is crucial in all of this."

He stared hard at her hoping she understands the seriousness of what he just said and gave a brief nod goodbye before heading out her door, Regina trailing behind him. For once, she does not know what to say.

Opening the door, Mohinder sees a blonde woman clad in a maroon leather jacket. He turns back around to Regina offering a handshake, "Thank you again for your time, Mayor Mills."

Finding her voice, Regina forces a smile and shakes his hand, "Of course."

Ignoring the blonde nuisance in front of her doorway, Regina stares at Mohinder's retreating back with an unreadable face. Seeing the blonde enter her house through her peripherals, Regina spun back around and stormed in, making sure to slam the door.

"Miss Swan, I never gave you permission to enter my home. I suggest you leave before I charge you with trespassing.

"Well I suggest you back off. I'm here to pick up the rest of Henry's things. And who was that guy anyway?"

"Whom I see in my home is none of your business,"

Regina pauses after fully comprehending what Emma had said, "Why are you taking Henry's things? He's still staying with me on weekends." She made sure that last sentence was a statement, not a question.

"Not anymore. Henry will be staying only at my place from now on. I'm taking full custody of him."

"**Full custody**?"

Regina went up to Emma so quickly her head spun.

"How many times do I have to say it to your thick skull? He is my son. Henry may have not came from my womb, but I raised him. He's _my_ son. You have no right to pry him away from me and into the Royal Idiots' vomit-inducing abode!"

Emma rolled her eyes and walked away from a fuming Regina. Walking up the stairs, she tries to zone out Regina's rant that she's heard one too many times.

"Quit being a pain in my ass and listen to me when I'm talking to you, Miss Swan! What in God's name gave you the ridiculous idea that you could take me away from my son. I took him in my life and called him my son because _you_ gave him away. I fed him, clothed him, changed his diapers, bandaged his scraped knees, read bedtime stories to him, Miss Swan I _raised_ him!"

Regina took in a shuddering breath as she glared all her might into Miss Swan's frozen form at the stairs.

"I won't let you take him away from me. I'll fight for him with everything I have, Miss Swan," Regina yelled and shivers ran up her own spine, "if it's the last thing I do!"

"Henry wanted this!" Emma turned around and looked at Regina with wide, wet eyes that shone green with distress. She wanted this to be a quick and painless errand. She should've known it would be anything but. Emma has been delaying this for the longest time, not wanting to add on to Regina's heaping stress in her life. Henry has told her that he wanted to stay with her, not his adoptive mother, and she's tried to persuade him to give Regina a chance. But her son is afraid of staying with Regina, often telling Emma of nightmares he's been having every time he sleeps in her house. How he pretends to sleep and pretends to smile in the mornings. How he's sick of pretending. How he wants the safety and warmth of the White household. Emma never wanted Regina to know. But she can't take any more of Regina fighting for the forged love of a son who wouldn't consider her as his mother.

"I'm sorry Regina."


	2. Chapter 2

Red rimmed eyes gazed out the window at a lone apple tree. Not wanting to hear any more of Emma's pity, Regina nodded and walked away, seeking solace in the presence of her apple tree. She didn't trust the steadiness of her voice to say anything, nor did she want to run away like a hurt puppy. So, she opted for a simple nod and a calm walk as far away from Emma as possible while still staying in the false comfort of her home.

When the finality of Emma's words sunk in, Regina's vision became obscured with unshed tears. She finally closed her eyes and let the tears roll down her cheeks, every shuddering breath into her undeserving lungs like a stake ramming deeper through her bruised heart.

Hearing footsteps and the weight of heavy luggage behind her, Regina kept her eyes shut while trying to shrink her body away from the unwanted presence. She tried to steady her breathing, hoping to hide as much shameful evidence of weakness as possible from prying eyes.

After sensing that the unwanted presence had left, Regina unclenched her jaw and put her head in her hands. Upon doing this, she felt a crumpled piece of paper the size of a gum wrapper stick to the side of her wet cheek. It was the piece of paper Dr. Suresh gave her. Wanting a distraction from the sudden onslaught of heartache, she takes a deep calming breath and dials a number on her phone.

* * *

Emma grunted under the weight of Henry's luggage.

_The kid's got a buttload of stuff..._

She looked around for Regina, not knowing why she wanted to find the brunette woman. Maybe to say a quick goodbye, or to criticize her for spoiling Henry with a bunch of stuff, just anything to get that woman to talk or even bicker with her. Ever since the recent major events in Storybrooke (the breaking of the curse, Cora's death, etc), Emma hadn't seen Regina as often. She almost missed her irritating presence. Emma understood that Regina didn't feel the need to stroll around Storybrooke now that everyone recognizes her as the Evil Queen, and that she needed time to grieve for her mother despite their twisted relationship. But Emma couldn't help but feel like things haven't been the same lately. Like their dynamic has completely changed.

_Do we even have a dynamic?_

_Jesus, Emma. You come to her house practically looking for arguments. A bit masochistic of you, isn't it? Of course today had to be different than usual. You came to her house for Henry, because your son asked you to. Not for any other..."weird" reasons you'd have, you weird, sick masochist._

_ Damn, I gotta stop talking to myself._

Emma halted her steps when she heard something that made her eyebrows scrunch together in concern. Walking in the direction of the sound, she found Regina in one of the back rooms of the house. Regina was standing in front of a broad window overlooking the apple tree with her back facing Emma, shoulders slumped, and her head down. It was an odd sight to witness since Emma's always seen the Mayor confidently composed.

With slow and steady steps, Emma walked closer, approaching the drooping Mayor as if she were an easily alarmed doe. From here she could see that Regina had a hand clasped over her mouth as if stifling a cry. The Mayor's beautiful hair covered her face from view, and Emma almost breathed out audibly because she wasn't sure if she could restrain herself from hugging the daylights out of Regina if she saw tears on her face. She felt uneasy seeing the usually strong-willed woman like this. She never longed for another one of the woman's acidic retorts, glares, smirks, and sneers as much as she did right now.

Feeling like she's about to intrude in Regina's personal space, Emma reeled her reaching hand back and darted her wide eyes left to right before cautiously walking away, rushing out of the mayor's house. She stopped in front of her yellow bug, glanced back at the domineering mansion with a heavy sigh and turned to her car again, stuffing Henry's things in the back with a solemn expression.

* * *

Regina smoothed out the wrinkles on her pants and knocked on the door, hoping her newly applied makeup concealed the painful events of her day. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding once seeing Mohinder's face behind the door.

"Please Ms. Mills, come in."

Dr. Suresh handed her a file, which she promptly opened, her lips pursed in concentration when examining the contents.

Her driver's license photo in black and white clipped to papers listing her full name, blood type, all her basic information, and a few papers in the back that were totally nonsensical to her are what she finds in the file. Glancing over the information of her birthdate and birthplace, confusion comes in as quick as it leaves as she brushes it off as a product of the curse.

"How did you get all of this information on me?"

"I found it among my father's paperwork. He has a hidden list of people with special abilities that he managed to track down. There are probably many more out there we don't know of..."

"How did he discover me then? I've never met your father before in my life," Regina looks up from the papers on her lap.

"Like I've told you before, as a geneticist my father has been enthralled with the idea of humans with super abilities for as long as I can remember. He's done research after research after research," the doctor pauses and closes his eyes with a deep sigh before opening them again.

His lively eyes were now filled with sadness, "Honestly, I don't know my father that well. His research was practically his life. Unfortunately, I've never had the chance to properly talk to him about it. All I have on the details of his research is the hard drive I found with all the genetic research my father had done and a list of names of people he tracked down. People he believed to have abilities. Your name showed up, Mayor Mills. So to answer your question, no I do not know _exactly_ how he managed to record your information, nor do I know _why_ he assumed you out of all people to have an ability...but he wasn't wrong in assuming so, was he?"

Looking at a spot on the rug, Regina couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. She was overwhelmed about everything happening to her today, how her relationship with her son won't be the same, how there are other people like her out there, how a man she never met before was trying to track her down all this time. She was emotionally exhausted.

"No, he wasn't wrong about me. I do have..._special abilities_."

Mohinder nodded and leaned over, opening his mouth to say something yet hesitant about his words, "Ms. Mills, my father was murdered because of his research."

"Oh...Dr. Suresh, I'm so sorry for your loss. He seems to be a great man to have done all of this work."

"Thank you, Ms. Mills. As you can see, my father created a program after his research to track down the Superhumans. However, something went wrong. Absolutely wrong. One of them killed my father."

Regina's brows furrowed in concern and she leaned over in her seat shaking her head, "Dr. Suresh─"

"You don't have to apologize for that monster's actions, Mayor. However, there is a more pressing matter here. Because of that man and others like him using their powers in _heinous_ ways, the U.S. Government is coming after us. All of us."

"Even those who are not using their powers for criminal acts?"

"Yes, even the innocent. They're rounding us up like cattle to the slaughter. They claim to be taking us to a facility where they will 'control the Superhumans,' but their recent acts show otherwise."

Regina looked at Mohinder in horror, "Besides that, what they're implying is life imprisonment. They can't just quarantine all of us. It is inhumane," Regina bitterly laughed to herself as she spoke against inhumanity. She is the Evil Queen, or was. She was the epitome of cruel and brutal behavior. She deserves what is coming to her.

"Exactly. Most of us are living our lives like ordinary people. The government is violently ripping us away from our lives and treating us like terrorists. They'll take you anytime; when you're doing your grocery shopping, even when you're sitting in your living room watching tv. They've already snatched a few of us, and they're torturing them like it's a sick experiment. Ms. Mills, they will even take children! Even those with harmless abilities like breathing underwater!"

All of the stress is bringing a throbbing pain in Regina's temples, "How is it possible that powerless humans are able to take down the superpowered? The Superhumans should be able to dominate them. That's why we have the gene and other's don't," Regina brought down a hand in a chopping motion to enunciate her point, "Survival of the fittest, I know my biology as well doctor. Therefore, I know that we should win in this struggle for life."

Nodding enthusiastically, Mohinder stresses his point, "What you should also consider is how there is strength in numbers. Since the government is making us out to be terrorists, we have a whole nation against us! Usually we would run and hide behind a new identity, but that game has shifted and we're on red alert now. This man called Danko is the real head of the operation. He's ruthless and dangerous, a deadly combination. You need to come with me and help us stop him."

"Look Dr. Suresh, I'd love to help you with your mission, but I can't just leave my son behind. I've managed to remain undiscovered for so long, I can do it again for a while more," Regina put on her signature mayoral smile to put an end to the discussion, "thank you for the warning doctor. It is much appreciated."

"Ms. Mills, have you forgotten that even _I_ have managed to find you?" Mohinder raised his voice in aggravation.

"You found me because you had that damn list. Lets not forget about that very informative file you've got handy as well," the bitterness dripped off her words.

"Which the government also has a copy of! They have a _map_ with photos of their targets! Your face is plastered on the state of Maine on a map the size of a wall as we speak!" Mohinder's chest puffed out as he pointed at her after every stressed word, "He. Will. Kill. You. Danko will kill you and leave your son motherless, unless you come with me and help us with our mission."

Regina's eyes darkened dangerously at the mention of Henry. She resisted the urge to throw him across the room at the idea that she would leave her son. But the doctor had a point. She can't be so selfish to stay in Storybrooke with Henry just to wait for Danko to kill her off, leaving Henry motherless and possibly traumatized. But then Regina remembered Miss Swan and her earlier visit. Henry has Emma. He wouldn't care if Regina left Storybrooke. He'll probably be relieved that the Evil Queen is no longer around to bother his new family anymore.

"Very well, Dr. Suresh. You've gained yourself an ally," Regina stood up and stuck out her hand, offering a handshake of comradeship.

He stood up with a smile and clasped her hand shaking it vigorously, "Thank you Mayor Mills. Words can't express how relieved I am to hear it. And please, call me Mohinder."

"Since we're on a first name basis now, you can call me Regina."

"Absolutely, Regina," a curious expression appeared on his face, "may I ask what your power is? We'll be meeting a group of people later that I managed to recruit for the mission. We need to know what we'll be working with here.

Regina hesitantly opened her mouth to reply, not sure how to word her...situation. Finally, she decided to be blunt, "this whole time I thought it was magic."

* * *

**A/N:**

**FINALLY mission accepted! Alright, the next chapter is where it gets really exciting, I promise!**

**Also, not sure if I should do Swan Queen or not, but right now Emma is just awkward with her "relationship" with Regina now. She feels something, but not quite sure if it's an attraction or whatever.**

**Family Guy's Stewie Griffin singing "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" scene kinda applies to Emma's situation :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

**Thanks so much for the reviews/favorites/alerts guys!**

**Now sit back and enjoy the ride. I for one had fun writing this chapter!**

* * *

"This whole time I thought it was magic. At first it was random occurrences like leaves swirling around my feet whenever I got excited or when my mother would..." Regina bit her lip to stop herself from revealing any intimate information. Mohinder nodded patiently for her to continue.

"Then it progressed into something more. Glass would shatter when I was under extreme stress. When I was angry, stuff would catch on fire..."

"...I thought it was my mother's doing," Regina whispered to herself.

"Sorry, what was that?" Mohinder questioned, not hearing Regina's mumbling.

"I said I thought it was witchcraft," quickly recovering, Regina cleared her throat.

"Years later as a teen, I had an argument with my mother. I put my arms out and it was like a huge gust of wind had pushed her. She fell down the stairs and died," Regina let her voice crack at the end. Of course she couldn't tell Mohinder that she pushed her mother through a looking glass into Wonderland. Despite all the talk of superpowers, if Regina went on about an alternate world of fairytales, the doctor would diagnose her as insane.

"...I blamed myself for the longest time. Of course I couldn't tell anybody. They wouldn't believe me if I told them of my '_magical powers_.'"

Mohinder put a hand on her shoulder, "Regina, it's okay. You couldn't handle your powers. Don't blame yourself for your mother's death. You were scared, naïve, and alone with no one to understand what you were going through."

Regina let a sad smile appear at the doctor's words. They just barely met and the doctor was already defending her. She was right to have made allies with him.

"The immense amount of guilt I had turned into depression," Regina remembered the grief she had for Daniel. She felt guilty for Daniel's death because he fought to be with her; their love turned into his demise.

"With my depression it seemed that my powers were somehow augmented. What used to be just small, crackling sparks of fire in my hands heightened into an intense blaze. Flames, fireballs even, could shoot out of my hands. With a flick of my wrist I could send anything," or _anyone _(which she didn't mention), "flying back or into my hands. And the leaves that used to swirl around me transformed into constricting vines. Fortunately, I could use _that_ ability into something less destructive. It appears that I have quite the green thumb. I take it that you've seen my garden during your visit?"

"Yes, it is absolutely beautiful. I knew there was something magical about those rose bushes," he chuckled heartedly.

Laughing politely, Regina couldn't help the grin breaking out, "Why thank you, Mohinder."

Mohinder then rubbed his hands together with an eager spark in his eyes, "Well it seems to me that you've gotten quite the array of abilities. Can I please see what you could do?"

Regina immediately had a flashback of Henry's plea for her to never use her magic. But she needs to, for the sake of other people's lives on the line. This time it's for a higher purpose. This, Regina realizes, is her ultimate path to redemption.

"Stand back," straightening up, Regina held her chin up high.

With a flick of her wrist, a blazing fireball appeared in her open palm. She tossed it to her other palm as if playing with a baseball. Then, clenching her hand in a fist, she extinguished the fire as easily as putting out a candle.

A smirk appeared on Regina's deep red lips. _'Time for some fun.'_

Palm up, a stream of fire flowed up from her hand. Mohinder could feel the temperature in the room rise exponentially. Twisting her fingers, Regina turned the flame into spirals of orange fire, like a winding staircase. The flame changed colors to blue, pink, red, then settled to green. Mohinder stared at her entranced with the light show.

Sticking her other hand out to the side, Regina opened her fist. Suddenly, small objects in the room came flying to her. Mohinder ducked as pens, pencils, shoes, books and other various objects came zipping past his head to hover and rotate around the woman with a spiral of fire in her hand.

"Out of all the objects flying around me, which do you not need?"

"Well, I kinda need all of them honestly speaking..."

"The pencils? I'm sure you don't need pencils."

"I need pencils, Re―"

"―Mohinder, for goodness sake. Has the fire sucked so much oxygen in this room already that it's affecting your ability to think? Look, you still have pens," Regina levitated the pens towards Mohinder where one lightly smacked him on the back of his head.

"Ow," the Indian man rubbed the back of his head with a pout.

"Would you like to continue watching or not?

"Yes, please continue."

"Very well. I suggest you close your mouth, dear. The slack jawed look is very unbecoming on you."

Mohinder opened his mouth in shock at her comment before shutting it with embararassment.

The pencils then flew into the green spiraled flame, causing the fire to crackle and hiss and grow even bigger than it already is. One pencil shot through the flame, whizzing past Mohinder with fire trailing behind it making it look like a small rocket. It pierced at the file in his hand, sending it across the room where it finally nailed through a wall.

Regina closed both her hands, extinguishing the flame and sending the objects flying around her to fall on the ground. Now sticking an arm out in front of her, a vine appeared on the floor where it wrapped around the flaming pencil stuck on the wall. With a flick of her hand, the vine pulled the pencil out and brought it to her. Red lips gently blew on the small flame on the butt of the pencil, dainty fingers thus handed it back to a wide-eyed Mohinder with a wicked smirk. With another flick, the file that slid down the wall was now flying towards Regina. Papers shuffled in mid air and were tucked neatly in the file as it landed gently in her hands.

Regina flipped her short hair back as she walked, no strutted, towards Mohinder.

"Telekinesis, pyrokinesis, and terrakinesis...of course. Pyrokinesis involves changes in temperature, which is basically changing the speed at which molecules vibrate. This could conceivably be controlled by telekinesis. As with the earth manipulation, that is another thing entirely. Perhaps an advanced manifestation of your psychic abilities..." Mohinder whispered while gazing at Regina with wonder, as if she were under a microscope. He'd never seen such graceful manipulation with just the wave of a hand.

Her smirk had stretched into a dazzling smile that lit up her face. Regina truly looked happier now than when she first walked into the room. Using her powers made her feel whole.

"Here's your file back. Hope you enjoyed the show."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Btw, just wanted to say that in case you haven't noticed, but I tweaked some things in Regina's background story. In this case, she's had instances of small sparks of "magic" long before Cora was sent through the mirror. Therefore, she was born with these powers. Rumplestiltskin doesn't have the gene because he had gained his powers through a magical artifact: his dagger. So the only abilities Regina has that wasn't influenced through magical means but instead are produced innately are her telekinesis, pyrokinesis, and terrakinesis.**


End file.
